Long Way from Home
by PseudonymousRiggs
Summary: 5 years has passed since Steve Rogers died and yet Natasha still haven't moved on. Upon meeting a mysterious man on a party Natasha couldn't help but compare the two.
1. Reminded

Reminded

re·mind i-ˈmīnd

: to put in mind of something : cause to remember

She was constantly reminded of him.

A brown haired man with grey eyes was standing at the dance floor with his wife, swaying with the music. The woman in his arms was talking but his attention was at the red-headed woman sitting at the bar. He couldn't help but feel a sense of familiarity and he could have sworn he knew the woman or at least met the woman before.

He was so focused on the woman that he hadn't heard someone calling him. "Roman" a voice said. "Roman dear we have to get going" the voice said again. This time he turned his attention back at his wife, her eyebrows furrowed. "Sorry, what was that?" Roman said. "I said we have to get going. I've been calling your name for about five times. What's gotten into you?" His wife said.

"Sorry Selene, guess I got a little bit occupied". "Well don't do it again. We got a mission to finish agent" She hissed in his ear. "Seems like our target is already occupied. I'll go upstairs and get the intel. Stay here and keep an eye on him." Selene said. "Ok, got it" He replied.

They stopped dancing and she rushed upstairs. Roman went straight to the bar focusing yet again his attention to the red-headed woman and noticed that she was now talking with a man. He sat at the bar, two stools away from the woman and ordered a drink.

With his enhanced hearing he couldn't help but listen to the conversation between the two. "Not interested. Especially with someone who is already _engaged_" the woman said with complete disgust in her voice. The man who was talking to her widened his eyes, surprised that the woman knew that he was engaged. "I- I'm sorry about this" the man stuttered and immediately walked away.

"Ass" muttered the woman. Roman, who heard everything couldn't help but let out a little laugh. This cause the woman to look at him and raise her one eyebrow. "Did you heard all of that?" Asked the woman . "You know it isn't nice to listen to somebody else's conversation."

Roman stopped laughing and cleared his throat. "I'm sorry ma'am. I couldn't help myself. The look at the man's face is just too funny" he said as he let out another laugh. The woman just looked at it him for a while with eyes that looked like she was assessing the man before her.

"True. Can you believe it? Engaged and yet still flirting around with women" she replied after a minute with a scoff. "Well I can't blame him." He said. "What?" She asked. "Well, with a beauty like you, no one could resist himself". He replied while downing his drink.

"Are you flirting Mr..." She asked waiting for him to fill her up. "Kings. Roman Kings and you are?" He asked. "Natalie Rushman" she replied. "Well, are you flirting with me Mr. Kings? Cause you should be ashamed. By the looks of the ring on your left finger, you are married" Natalie said.

At hearing this, Roman let out an another laugh. "Yes indeed I am married but I'm just stating the truth Ms. Rushman" he said. "In that case save your compliments for your wife, why aren't you with her anyway?" She replied with a glare. "Oh she's around talking with people. I got tired standing and decided to sit for a while, not really a fan of parties". He said

Natalie just looked at him again, now with her eyebrows furrowed. She tilted her head and asked, "Who are you, really? Have we met before?" She said with a low voice. This time it was Roman's turn to scrunch his forehead. "What do you mean?" He asked. Slightly becoming worried thinking that his cover was blown. "I just said it to you. My name is Roman Kings and no we haven't met before. I'm sure I'll remember you if we had" he said.

"Nothing. I'm sorry, its just that you reminded me of someone" she replied with a slightly trembling voice . Her eyes suddenly glimmering. "Oh is he an ex or something?" He tried to joke noticing the change in her voice. "Umm yeah kind off" she replied with a voice so low that he almost didn't catch it. "Soo what happened to him?" He asked. She suddenly looked at him with a frown and Roman was afraid he overstepped his bounds. But then the frown immediately disappeared and was replaced by a stoic face. "He died" she then replied.

"Oh sorry about that" he said not knowing what else to say. "No it's okay. It happened a long time ago" she said. Roman was about to ask more of what happened to him when suddenly a voice came over his comms. "Are you done talking with the lady, Roman?" Selene said over the comms in his ear. "Cause I need your help now Stefan!" she hissed in his ear.

Noticing the change in name, Stefan immediately said his goodbyes to Natalie. "I'm sorry for your loss Ms. Rushman, but I think it's time for me to find my wife. It's been nice talking to you Natalie" he said with a smile. "Likewise Mr. Kings. Now go before your wife sees you talking with an another woman" she said with a laugh. He left with a nod then immediately rush to Selene.


	2. Gone

\ˈgȯn also ˈgän\

: lost, ruined 

: dead

He was gone, leaving her so lost.

Natasha's POV

I could feel the gaze of the man from the dance floor and he's been looking for about 5 minutes now. I had been ignoring it hoping that it will stop him from looking and I was starting to feel annoyed when after a minute I could still feel his eyes on me.

Finally having enough, I looked at the man fixing him with a glare only to find that he was already talking to the woman in his arms.

Noticing that the woman was angry I continued to stare until someone approached me.

"Hey" came a voice from a man. "What's a beautiful lady doing here all alone?" The man asked.

"None of your business" I replied under gritted teeth. The man only chuckled and said "Do you want to dance? Can I buy you a drink beautiful?"

"Not interested. Especially from a man who is already engaged" I said with disgust. My reply took the man by surprise and he immediately utter a sorry and walked away.

I was about to look for the man in the dance floor again when I heard a laugh beside me. The man who was gazing a while ago was now sitting two seats away from me. I raised an eyebrow and ask if he heard all of it.

He stopped laughing, cleared his throat and replied with an "I'm sorry ma'am" at least that was all I heard since I stopped listening when I heard him say "ma'am".

As soon as I heard the word, Steve immediately came to mind. "Do not go there again Romanoff" I said to myself and shake my head to clear the thoughts away. Looking back to the man I stared at him and quietly assessed him.

We continued talking until I learned that his name was Roman Kings and I introduced myself as Natalie Rushman.

While talking to him I couldn't help but feel as though I know him. He seems familiar almost like him. "He acts like HIM" I thought to myself.

"Who are you really? Have we met before?" I asked. He seems taken aback from my question and uttered a reply as I say sorry to him.

"He's dead Natasha. He's not coming back" I said yet again to myself for the nth time.

He asked what happened to him and for a moment tears was already prickling my eyes. I looked at him with a frown but immediately replaced it with a stoic face as I reply that his dead.

Already five years has passed since he died and I thought that by each year that has gone by it will get easier. Yet here I am, still trying to get terms of his dead and each year it's getting harder to move on.

I'm trying to move on but I couldn't. Clint said I'm not trying hard enough telling me that Steve would want me to move on and live my life. But I couldn't, I just couldn't do it.

I could tell that he wanted to asked more but instead he said goodbye to look for her wife. I watch his retreating figure until he was already out of my sight.

I looked around for Stark and found him talking with some men. He spotted me and I signalled for him to come.

He excused himself from the men and went at the bar and took a sit beside me. "Soo who was that?" Tony asked while ordering himself some drink. "No one." Came my clipped answer.

"Oh really? You looked like you were having fun" he replied. "Did I really?" I answered sarcastically and rolling my eyes. "Yeah, that's probably the longest conversation you had with anybody without looking that you wanted to kill the man. So yeah it means you're having fun Red" he said.

"Call me that again and see what happens to you" I glared at him.

"Been there done that. Anyways did you see something or someone suspicious?" He asked, rotating his chair to look around.

"No. It's weird nothing seems wrong" I replied getting a bit worried. "I think so too. Nothing looks suspicious. Do you think Fury's intel is wrong?" Tony asked.

I let out a short laugh at that. "Fury's never been wrong Stark, most of the time atleast".

"Look the President is still there. Safe and sound and it's getting late don't you think whoever is planning something will wait this long?" He replied with a tired sigh.

"I think so too but who knows. I'll go upstairs to check."

"You do that. I'll stay here to keep an eye" I nod at him then left.

Our mission was simple all we had to do was to keep an eye and protect the president. Apparently Fury got an intel that says the KGB was planning to do something at a party that's going to be held in the White House and our only problem was we don't know that "something" is. So we assumed that it probably has to do with the president.

Going inside the White House wasn't a problem. Stark had it all covered and immediately got us invitations to the said party.

So we've been here for the past couple of hours and still nothing was happening, not that it's a bad thing but still I can't help but feel a little edgy.

"Maybe Tony's right what if Fury's intel is wrong" I said to myself. Well that's a first, I'm actually considering that Tony might be actually right. I don't have to tell him that though it wouldn't help to his already big ego.

I made my way to the elevator and press the up button waiting for it to go down. I didn't have to wait long before the doors open and to my surprise the man I was talking to before was inside.

He wasn't alone now though. Beside him was a blonde woman which I assume is his wife.

I looked at him before I settled my gaze to his wife. "I see you found your wife Mr. Kings" I said making my way inside.

"Yeah I did" he replied a little offhandedly not quite meeting my eyes. They made their way out not once looking back.

"He's quite the strange one" I thought to myself as the doors closes.


End file.
